Operating means for electric switches



Mllh 28, 1944 J. F. oBRuEN 2,345,0

OPERATING MEANS FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed March 26, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l seph OErin ATTORNE March 28, 1944. J, F, OBRIEN l OPERATING MEANS EOE ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed March 26, 1942 I l2 SheetS-Shet 2 f TNW-:MOR

Joseph F O Eren BY z ATTGRNEY Patented Mar. 28,

OPERATING MEANS FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Joseph F. O'Brien, Jersey City, John B. Pierce Foundation, corporation of New York N. J., assigner to New York, N. Y., a

Application March 26, 1942, Serial No. 436,228

9 Claims. (CL 200-159) This invention relates to operating means for electric switches. In particular, the invention relates to operating means for electric switches of the rotary mercury type disclosed and claimed in my Patent No.`

2,293,752, dated'August 25, 1942, filed October 26, 1939, and provides improved means for actuating the mercury circuit breaker.

It is an object of the invention to provide a switch of the type aforesaid, adaptable for instantaneous or delayed action. v

It is a further object ofthe invention to provide a switch which may be economically manufactured and readily assembled.

According to a preferred form of the invention', the improved electric switch includes a mercury circuit breaker of conventional button form, removably mounted within a rotatable support. A gear train is employed to rotate the mounting, said gear train being moved in step by step rotation by means of a push button or equivalent, with which is associated a reciprocatable link carrying a pawl ngageable with one of the gears of the gear train.

It is a feature of the invention that said gear is provided with a plurality of pins or upstanding abutments, equi-distantly and equi-radially spaced about a surface of said gear. The reciprocatable link has a nose portion having operating surfaces tapered to a point which projects between a pair of said pins. A lost motion connection is employed between the pawl and the link, whereby the nose of the link may be drawn suitably out of engagement with the pins before the pawl is effective to rotate the gear.

According to the length of stroke of reciprocation of the link, the gear train may be sufficiently rotated upon movement of the link in one direction to eiiect an opening or closing of the circuit; or a complete reciprocation, that is, travel of the link in both directions, may be required to eiiect the stated change in circuit status. In the latter circumstance, the nose of the link operates as a cam against one of the pins on the gear, t rotate the said gear overthe remainder of such arc as is necesssary to complete the rotation of the mercury circuit breaker.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 xis a plan view of a portion of an electric Wiring system of seriatim interconnected conductor units, in which is employed a switch em bodying the present invention; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged 'sideelevatiom in section, of the switch, taken on Alines 2'-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the switch, with the cover plate removed;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the cover plate;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on linesS-J of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, showing the association of the rotary switch, gear train, pawl, and reciprocatable pawl actuating member;

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective of the mer-v cury switch mounting structure;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a portion of a room showing the switch installed in two of its optional positions;

Fig. 9 is a partial plan section of a portion of the switch showing the position of the mercury circuit breaker when the switch is employed in a vertical position; and

Fig. 10 is a partial plan section showing an instant in the operation of the switch under delayed action operation.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description of. the invention, my improved electric switch I0 is shown as mechanically and electrically interconnected to wiring units II, II. Said wiring units may be of the typevdescribed and claimed in United States Patent No. 2,239,652, dated April 22, 1941, issued to Louis G. Morten and Joseph F. OBrien, wherein tubular electricity conductors I2 are disposed within a suitable housing of which the end portions are arranged for male and female interconnection with adjacent units. by means of pins I4, or equivalent.

The switch III includes a substantially hollow body member I5, preferably molded from suitable plastic of desireddielectric quality. The body portion has molded or otherwise disposed therein, suitable tubular electricity conductors I6, I1, and Il. Conductors I1, I1' are electrically interconnected through the agency of the circuit breaking means, as later described. A cover plate I8 is removably attached to body I5.

Referring now to Fig. 2, an electric circuit breaker I9, of the mercury button type, ineludes opposed metallic shells 20, 2|, secured tof and separated by, a wall 22 of electric insulation material. The said wall has g an aperture 23 therethrough, see Fig. 6, which forms a passage through which mercury 24 may flow to makeelectrical connection between the metallic shells 20 and 2|.

The mercury switch I9 is supported in a metal Electrical interconnection is effected cup 25, said cup being attached to, and having positioned onits under side, a gear 26A fixed to a rotatable shaft 21. Said shaft 21, see Figs. 2 and 5,.is in preferably resilient surface contact with an electricity conductor 28 electrically. connected to conductor I1. A key 25', formed in a side wall of cup 25, engages with a keyway (not shown) in shell 2i to enforce rotation of switch I9.

Metallic shell is in electrical contact with a metallic saddle 30, a portion of which' is formed to provide a spherical bearing insertable into a mating depression 3| in said shell 20.- i

A side member 32 of the saddle 30 terminates in a blade 33 for insertion within a spring contact member 34, see Figs. 1 and 7, which is in electrical connection with the electricity conductor I1. The path of electric circuit between conductors I1 and. I1 is by way of conductor 28, shaft 21, metallic cup 25, shell 2l, mercury 24, shell 20, saddle 30, and spring contact 34.

The mercury switch I9 requires, see Figs. 6 and 9, a rotation of 180 to move it from circuit closing to circuit opening status, and a second rotation of 180, preferably in the same direction, to return it to circuit closing status. It is understood that in the embodiment shown, the mercury switch I9 is operable only when the wall 22 is in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the mercury may flow through the aperture 23 to contact shells 20 and 2|.

To rotate the gear 26, and thereby the cup 25 and mercury switch I9, a driving gear meshes with said gear 25. Desirably, gears 35 and 26 are in a 2 to 1 ratio, whereby rotation of gear 35 over a 90 arc is effective to rotate gear 26 through an arc of 180.

Gear 35 is mounted upon a shaft 36, suitably removably supported within the base of the body I5, see Fig. 2, and held, at its opposite end, with in an aperture in a transverse insulation member 31, which extends between and is positioned by the opposite side members 32 and 38 of the saddle 30.

Pawl means 39 are provided to effect an initial rotation of gear 35. Cooperating with said pawl means, and serving also as means to limit the rotation of the gear, or according to one form of the invention serve to complete the rotation of the gear while determining its nal position, are a plurality of pins 40 secured toV and upstanding from a face of the gear 35, and arranged equi-angularly and equi-radially about the center of the gear. In the embodiment shown, four pins, spaced 90 apart, are used.

For operating the pawl, and cooperating with the pins 40 in the manner aforesaid, is a pawldriver 4I, of the nature of a slide, mounted for reciprocation in trackways 42, 42, formed in the base of the body portion I5.

The slide 4I is provided with an aperture 43 within which extends an arm 44 of a bell crank, rotatably mounted by means of a shaft 45 in bearings 46 provided in the side walls of the base I5. The arm 41 of the bell crank is in slidable engagement with a bearing surface of a push button 48, in turn mounted in vertical trackways 50.

A spring 5I bears against a transverse wall 52 of the housing, and its free end is in engagement with the end of the slide 4I, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

As will be obvious, downward pressure on push button 48 moves the slide 4I to the right, as

viewed in- Fig. 6, against the compression of spring 5I.' Release of pressure on the button 48 renders the spring 5I operative to move the slide 4I in return direction, completing one reciprocative movement of said slide.

The pawl'39 is operatively associated with slide 4I by means of a headed rivet or post 53 secured to said slide and passing upwardly through a slot 54 in pawl 39. Preferably said slot 54 is of a length sufficient to form a lost motion connection between said pawl and the post 53, whereby a substantial movement of the slide 4I is initiated before the pawl is engaged by the post 53 to move the same. The hooked end of the pawl 39 engages with one of the pins 40, and continued movement of the slide 4l, to the right, causes said pawl to rotate the gear 35 over 90 of rotation, bringing the next succeeding pin 40 into position for engagement with the pawl on the return stroke thereof. It will be noted from Fig. 6 that the end 55 of the pawl is suitably sloped; upon the'return of movement of the pawl, said sloping end 55 engages with the said next succeeding pin to rotate the pawl counter-clockwise of Fig. 6 about pin 5.3 and against the pressure of a leaf spring 51.,vr When the end of the pawl passes the pin, the leaf spring snaps it into clockwise rotation, thereby hooking the end Vof the pawl over said pin.

It will be noted that because of the lost motion connection between the pawl and slide 4I, the slide may begin its return movement in advance of movement of the pawl. j

The slide 4I is formed with a pointed nose 58, formed by oppositely angularly disposed end surfaces. The apex of the nose is in the line of the center of rotation of gear 35, and as shown in Fig. 6, the opposed sloping surfaces of the nose 58 extend between and engage with the adjacent pins 40, thereby locking the gear against further rotation and serving to limit, while accurately fixing, the degree of rotation of the gear. By reason of the stated lost motion connection, the surfaces of nose 58 are drawn away from engagement with the pins 40 before the pawl 39 exerts any rotative movement on gear 35, whereas on the return stroke, the .sloping surfaces of the nose 58 are in engagement with the pins substantially coincidentally with the snapping of the pawl end over the positioned pin 40. If' for some reason, movement of the pawl did not rotate the gear 35 over a full 90 angular arc, one of the pins 43 will engage with a surface of the nose 58 during the return stroke of the slide 4I, and the nose 58 will, by a cam action, complete the rotation of said gear.

As shown in Fig. 10, the cam surfaces of the nose 58 may also be employed to complete a substantial degree of rotation off gear 35. For example, the stroke of the push button 48, or the relationship of the arms 44, 41 of the operating bell crank may be such that movement of the push button 48 is effective only to move the slide 4I for a distance slightly more than onehalf that required for a full rotation of the gear 35. In such circumstance, the pawl would rotatethe gear to an extent of say 50, bringing.

the free pin to the left of the pawl just past the apex of the nose 58. Release of pressure on the button 48 will cause the spring 5I to drive the slide 4I in return direction, whereupon engagement of the sloping surface of the nose 58 with said pin will cam it through the remaining required arc of rotation. Such an arrangement makes it possible to employ the switch as a delayed action device whereupon an in and out movement of the button 48 is required before the circuit can be opened or closed. In other words, so long as the button 48 is held in a depressed state, the mercury switch I9 will not have been rotated suicient to effect the desired change in circuit status.

As shown in Fig. 8, my improved mercury switch may be employed in a horizontal position, or in a vertical position, such as is illustrated at the side of the door. To effect such change, it is only necessary to remove the cover plate and the saddle 30, whereupon the cup 25 `may be lifted to bring its gear 26 out of mesh with gear 35, for rotation o'f said gear 26 through an angle of 90. Upon returning the cup 25 to operthe mercury switch I9 will be in the position shown in Fig. 9, i. e., with the aperture 23 at either extreme of a vertical line passing through the center of rotation of the switch.

For use as a tell-tale or pilot light, I prefer to incorporate in the switch, a lamp 60, preferably of the neon type, suitably mounted in a supporting socket construction 6| having downwardly extending blade contacts 62, 63, for electrical connection with spring contacts 64, 65, connected to the conductors I 6 and Il.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specic forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made provided they do not depart from the scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. In a switch having a rotary circuit breaker of the mercury type, the combination of a gear operative to rotate said circuit breaker, a driving gear meshing with said first-named gear, a plurality of equi-distantly spaced pins on a surface of said driving gear, a reciprocable slide having a nose formed with oppositely angularly related surfaces adapted to extend between and engage with a pair of said pins to act as means limiting the rotation of said driving gear, means for reciprocally moving said slide in direction toward and away from said gear pins, and a pawl operatively associated with said reciprocable slide and engageable with each of said pins, in succession, to rotate said gear an amount equal to the angular spacing between successive pins upon movement of said slide in one direction, there being a lost-motion connection between said slide and said pawl, whereby the nose of said slide is moved out of engagement with the pins of said gear prior to rotation of said gear by said pawl.

2. In a switch having a rotatable circuit breaker, the combination of a gear operatively associated with said circuit breaker, a driving gear in mesh therewith, a pawl for rotating said driving gear over a predetermined arc of rotation, reciprocable means operatively associated with said pawl for imparting driving motion thereto in one direction of reciprocation, said pawl driving means engageable with said driving gear independently of the pawl for rotating the same over a predetermined arc of rotation -upon return reciprocal movement of said pawl driving means, and means for reciprocating said pawl driving means.

`ments disposed about an arc 3. Means as recited in claim 2, wherein the means for reciprocating said pawl driving means includes a push button, bell crank means operatively associating said push button and said pawl driving means to move the latter in one direction upon movement of said push button, and spring means operative upon said pawl driving means to move the same in return direction upon release of pressure on said push button.

4. Means as recited in claim 2, wherein the pawl is effective to rotate said driving gear over substantially one-half of the desired arc of rota.- tion thereof, and said pawl driving means is effective to rotate said driving gear over the remaining are of rotation while securing said driving gear in its ultimate position of rotation.

5. Escapement mechanism comprising a wheel having a plurality of equidistantly spaced eleof 360 degrees, a pawl engageable with one of said spaced elements for rotating said wheel over an arc upon movement of said pawl in one direction. reciprocatable means operatively associated with said pawl to move the same in wheel-rotating direction and having an operating face engageable with a pair of said spaced wheel elements, said operating face having cam surfaces, one of which upon return movement of said reciprocatable means engages with one of said pair of spaced wheel elements to rotate'the wheel in one or another direction to correct under or over rotation of said wheel by action of said pawl.

6. Escapement mechanism according to claim 5 in which the cam surfaces of said reciprocatable means are normally in engagement with said pair of spaced wheel elements and are movable out of engagement therewith prior to the movement of said pawl in wheel-rotating direction.

7. Escapement mechanism according to claim 5 in which the spaced wheel elements comprise a plurality of abutments disposed upon the surface of said wheel.

8. Escapement mechanism according to claim 5 in which the pawl driving means comprises a slidable link having an operating face in which the cam surfaces thereof are sloping end portions converging to an apex.

9. Escapement mechanism, comprising a wheel. a plurality of pins equidistantly and equi-radially spaced on a surface of said wheel, a reciprocably mounted slide member having an operating face overlying said surface of said wheel and terminating in oppositely sloping cam surfaces converging to an apex at a diameter of said wheel, said cam surfaces lying normally between and respectively in engagement With a succession of said pins to prevent rotation of said wheel, and a pawl associated with said slide member and in engagement with one of said pins to rotate the wheel upon movement of said slide member, said pawl and said slide member being interconnected with va lost-motion linkage, whereby the cam surfaces of said slide member` are brought out ofengagement with thev respective pins prior to action of the pawl upon the said pin to affect rotation of the Wheel.

JOSEPH F. OBRHlN. 

